https://padlet.com/aupson1/7aqwetkjwh5ujp9j Review your reading of Atwood's intro to the book; one review of the Testaments; and the Atlantic article on Elie Wiesel and bearing Witness. For one of these texts, explain what interested you, surprised you, or upset you; add a quote as part of your response, and be clear about which text you're responding to. Please respond to one other person's idea, and link ideas when possible. en-us 2021-04-06 18:25:57 UTC 2021-04-06 20:14:27 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet.com/aupson1/7aqwetkjwh5ujp9j/wish/1388919591 "In some morbid way I
was proud to be just one degree of separation from tragic events, as if it might make me seem
deeper than the average Midwestern teenager. My father’s reply was blunt. “When people I
barely know ask me to tell them what happened to me during the Holocaust, it feels like they
are saying ‘Nice to meet you. I heard you were gang raped, tell me about it.’”

This part of the Atlantic Article about Bearing Witness interested me because as someone who does not fall into the Witness category, I was pretty insensitive to asking those who have experienced traumatic events such as the Holocaust. Reading this was really eye-opening. ]]> 2021-04-06 20:00:41 UTC https://padlet.com/aupson1/7aqwetkjwh5ujp9j/wish/1388919591 https://padlet.com/aupson1/7aqwetkjwh5ujp9j/wish/1388923114 One thing that surprised me while reading the article about Elie Wiesel was that many holocaust survivors don't talk about their experiences like Elie wiesel. When the author of the article asked his dad about why he doesn't share about his experience he responded, “When people I
barely know ask me to tell them what happened to me during the Holocaust, it feels like they
are saying ‘Nice to meet you. I heard you were gang raped, tell me about it”(2).  It never crossed my mind until I read this that holocaust survivors need a lot of courage to speak about their experiences. Because people like Elie Wiesel were so open about their experiences I took their testimonies as granted and I didn't think it was a hard thing to do.]]> 2021-04-06 20:01:42 UTC https://padlet.com/aupson1/7aqwetkjwh5ujp9j/wish/1388923114 https://padlet.com/aupson1/7aqwetkjwh5ujp9j/wish/1388928659 2021-04-06 20:03:25 UTC https://padlet.com/aupson1/7aqwetkjwh5ujp9j/wish/1388928659 https://padlet.com/aupson1/7aqwetkjwh5ujp9j/wish/1388930536 One thing that surprised me about Atwood's intro to The Handmaid's Tale is when she wrote, "So many different strands fed into The Handmaid's Tale - group executions, sumptuary laws, book burnings, the Lebensborn program of the S.S. and the child-stealings of the Argentinian generals, the history of slavery..." (Atwood XVIII). This is surprising because when reading The Handmaid's Tale fully, it seems as if it is an entirely fictional, dystopian book. The reader gets the feeling that the scenarios that play out in this book are imaginary. But, it is interesting to see the reality that many of the situations that play out in The Handmaid's Tale are similar to those that happened in real life.]]> 2021-04-06 20:04:01 UTC https://padlet.com/aupson1/7aqwetkjwh5ujp9j/wish/1388930536 https://padlet.com/aupson1/7aqwetkjwh5ujp9j/wish/1388930592 In middle school, we actually read a book by Elie Wiesel, and seeing it from the perspective of this article was very interesting. I thought it was very inspirational that while many others do not like to talk about their past during the Holocaust, Elie was able to openly discuss it. When he said, "Do I have the right to represent the multitudes who have perished? Do I have the right to accept this great honor on their behalf? ...
This [Nobel Prize] belongs to all the survivors and their children...”, it was just so powerful seeing someone able to represent his people like that.

]]> 2021-04-06 20:04:02 UTC https://padlet.com/aupson1/7aqwetkjwh5ujp9j/wish/1388930592 https://padlet.com/aupson1/7aqwetkjwh5ujp9j/wish/1388931387 “Elie Wiesel described Holocaust survivors as those who had 'emerged from the Kingdom of Night. We know that every moment is a moment of grace, every hour an offering; not to share them would mean to betray [the dead].'". This surprised me because he claimed earlier that he did not have the right to speak on the behalf of the dead, but if no one does, then it is betraying them. As if their deaths were in vain. Not remembering is not learning and we must be able to learn from these tragic experiences. I understand Elie's point however that he himself does not have the authority to speak on behalf of all the dead, and it is future generations' responsibility. ]]> 2021-04-06 20:04:17 UTC https://padlet.com/aupson1/7aqwetkjwh5ujp9j/wish/1388931387